‘Shout loudly about your success’ says business support expert

Lancashire’s award-winning businesses must use their status to promote their goods and services, a business support expert has said.

Maria Coupe, director of Shout Network, said the winners of the Be Inspired Business Awards, the BIBAs, should look to seek to maximise their award wins to differentiate themselves from their competition. Shout Network is the social media sponsor of this year’s awards which are open for applications until April 6.

Following the closure of the deadline, applicants will go through two rounds of judging before the winners are selected and unveiled at a glittering ceremony in September.

Mrs Coupe said: “Any business or individual who wins at the BIBAs has done so because they do something which is very special and sets them apart as the best of the very best, and that is something they should be shouting from the rooftops.

“The majority of businesses have their own social media channels these days and the judging rounds of the BIBAs are an excellent opportunity to use them to step in to the spotlight which the awards offer.

“There are tens of thousands of people out there across Lancashire and beyond who will be following the judging and it is up to those businesses involved to tell their stories.”

The BIBAs is now in its tenth year and is expected to receive applications from across the county in the coming weeks which will be eligibility-checked by the awards organisers before being down-selected ahead of a first round of judging.

The face-to-face interviews get underway from May 14 followed by a unique second round of judging when the BIBAs panels go ‘on tour’ to visit the finalists in their category.

The BIBAs has 18 prize categories, including Construction Business of the Year, Professional Services Business of the Year.